by Brianna York
Rob exhaled. He had not wished to deal with the keeping of the man until the authorities could be called to take him away. It was much less difficult to report a man dead as result of an accident. He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling numb and confused.
“Cecily!” Longford suddenly exclaimed. “You have been shot!”
She glanced at her arm for a moment. “It does appear that I have. How very brave of me,” she said before falling into a dead faint. She toppled from the saddle into Longford’s waiting arms. Rosy thought foggily that it was unfair that the other woman should be so graceful even when she was injured.
“Ride to the house and gather the servants,” Rob told Longford. “We shall need help carrying them to the house.”
Rob listened to the sound of hooves galloping away down the lane and cast a prayer heavenward for the safety of the two women lying on the ground before him. He felt hollowed out and empty, completely wrung out emotionally from the events of the night.
“Rob,” Rosy said quietly, reaching out a hand to him. “I have to tell you something.”
“What is it?” Rob asked, leaning down to hear her more clearly.
“Bruxton,” she murmured. “He told me that he was a bastard.”
Rob nodded. “Indeed. I am sure you noticed that Ms. Bruxton still uses her maiden name despite having a son. She was never married.”
“He said that you owed him the money to go to France because he is your half-brother. He said your father would not acknowledge him.”
Rob felt his head spin a little. Bruxton was his father’s by-blow? Why had Ms. Bruxton never said anything to him? He had not been about enough to get to know Harold as a boy but he would surely have wished to care for him and ensure that he obtained a living somewhere. “Damnation,” he muttered, his tired brain trying to comprehend what Rosy had told him.
“He said that the money they had been taking from the rents was to make up for what his mother should have been given to care for him,” Rosy went on.
Rob sighed. “If they would have only told me, I should have taken care of his needs. I could have helped him to become a solicitor or join the army as an officer or some such thing.” Rob drove a hand through his hair in frustration.
“I thought you would want to know,” Rosy said sleepily.
“It is a shame,” Rob replied. “I shall have to notify the Bruxtons if I am able. Perhaps give them some money for passage to France as he wished.”
The sound of voices reached them and Rosy heard Rob rise to his feet. “The staff is here to help get you and Cecily to the house,” Rob told her.
Rosy nodded dreamily, her thoughts feeling oddly disconnected from her body. She wondered suddenly how Cecily had found her. She decided she would have to ask the other woman that question once she felt better. “Rob?” she said quietly.
“I am here,” he told her.
“Will you kiss me?” she asked.
She heard the smile in his voice. “Of course I shall,” he replied, dipping his head and kissing her lips gently.
“Promise me that you shall never leave me again,” she whispered.
“An easy vow to make. Look at all the trouble that happens when I do!” Rob teased her, pressing another kiss to her lips. He helped the servants lift Rosy onto a makeshift stretcher, his heart clenching at the thought of how close he had come to losing her.
As the small progression of people made their way to the brightly lit house, Rob glanced back over his shoulder at the ruin of the cart laying in the lane. The poor horse had been taken away to the stables and the footman who had come to fetch the animal had brought a blanket to cover Bruxton’s body. Rob felt his heart turn over as his brain replayed the events which had led to the death of his mother and sister. He was incredibly relieved that the outcome had not been worse but he was well aware that both Rosy and Cecily would have some healing to do.
As the little procession made its way to the house, Rob’s exhausted brain relived the harrowing moments of terror the day that his mother and sister had died. He realized with a bit of a start that he was not to blame for his father’s poor judgement which had led to such a terrible loss. He felt a stab of pity for himself and for the half-brother he would never know. He promised himself that he would not be such a poor father to his children. He could, however, try to right the wrongs that his father had brought down upon the family by being a better man than the former Earl. He halted for a moment in the lane, turning back to look at the road where two major turning points in his life had taken place. He glanced up at the sparkling stars and said a little prayer that his mother and sister might be at peace. If felt good to finally let go of the past.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“She is beautiful, isn’t she?” Rosy asked, her face flushed and her body feeling exhausted and battered. She clutched the tiny bundle of life in her arms more tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of its head. The baby responded by squeaking out an angry cry.
“And rather opinionated,” Rob agreed with a chuckle.
Rosy smiled up at him, her heart feeling as though it would overflow with love. She would always think of this child as a miracle. In the weeks that had passed since the carriage accident, she had worried and fretted that something would be wrong with the babe. Holding a healthy baby made her feel as if the horror of that day could now safely be tucked away, never to return.
“What do you want to name her?” Rob asked her, sitting gently on the bed next to her stroking the tiny pink hand closest to him.
Rosy did not hesitate. “Her name is Cecily,” she said firmly.
Rob grinned. “A fitting tribute. I believe that she will enjoy being a godmother, don’t you?”
Rosy nodded. “It seems like the least that I can do after she saved my life.”
“We shall have to write her,” Rob said. “I believe that she said that she would be in Italy until the Season starts again.”
After the excitement of Rosy’s kidnapping, Cecily had decided that she would not mope about waiting for a husband. She had borrowed some money from Longford, asked the Countess of Pleasant to be her chaperone and had traveled to Italy. She had told them she might decide to become an original and simply travel the world. It seemed that Cecily had not realized her penchant for excitement until the night of Rosy’s kidnapping. Rosy looked forward to each letter that the other woman sent, happily experiencing the drama and dazzle of foreign places through her words.
“Rob, how do you suppose that Ethelinda knew where I was?” Rosy mused, rocking the baby gently.
Rob blew out a breath. “It could have been a lucky guess because she had been in the area for many summers traveling with her family. It was the damndest thing, though. When she took my hand, I felt as though she truly did see something that let her know where you were. Cecily said that she felt the same. I did not even know that grist mill was there. I am sure that it was still operating in Ethelinda’s youth, but there must have been other places she could have sent Cecily to.”
Rosy thought about that for a moment. “Well, either way I am glad for it. I cannot imagine what might have come to pass if Cecily had not found me.”
“Since we are asking serious questions,” Rob said, regarding Rosy’s profile as she bent over the baby in her arms, “I shall ask you something. Have you ever regretted that you did not marry Longford?”
Rosy glanced over at Rob, a question in her expression. She searched his face for a moment, then smiled fondly at him. “Surely you are not still questioning the paternity of this baby.”
Rob shook his head, his cheeks flushing a bit with embarrassment. “Not at all. I was only asking because my male pride wishes to know.”
Rosy chuckled. “I have only ever loved you, Robert Kensington.”
“I am sorry that it took me so long to sort that out,” Rob told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. He rose from the bed and went to stand by the window, looking out at the neatly kept grounds that were still sparse with the ch
ill of winter. “I am glad that we stayed in the country this year,” he told her.
“You do not miss being in town?” she asked. It had been her request to stay in the country and miss the Season. She had not wished to take the chance of a long carriage ride after all the mishaps of her early pregnancy. She had been afraid that Rob would leave her to go to the city, but he had stayed.
Rob thought about that for a moment. “Not truly. It feels good to put the ghosts of the past to rest and build new happy memories in this place.”
“Amen,” Rosy said happily. “How many children do you suppose we shall have?”
Rob grinned at her. “As many as you wish to have.”
“We shall have to make room in the stables for each of them to have a pony,” she said firmly.
Rob rolled his eyes in mock irritation. “The whole family will ride better than their father. I shall be left out all the time.”
“You are improving,” Rosy admonished him. “I am a very good teacher.”
A sudden flurry of movement heralded the arrival of Horus as he leapt onto the bed. He clambered quickly over Rosy’s legs and reached out to sniff the small chubby face of the new baby. Rosy chuckled at the confused look on his face.
“A better question that I might ask,” Rob said, “is how many cats do you wish to have?”
Rosy tilted her head to the side. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Rob sighed. “I should have known better than to ask.”
“Remember that you love me,” she reminded him, a teasing glint in her eyes.
Rob crossed the room and leaned over to press a kiss to her lips. “I shall never stop loving you,” he whispered to her.
Rosy felt giddy with happiness. “See that you don’t.”
About the Author
Brianna lives with her other half, two wonderful dogs and two sweet kitties. She has three Arabian horses she shows all over the United States and in Canada. Brianna likes to write about history, but she also loves to write about the human experience. She enjoys creating heroic characters who solve problems in their lives with dignity and honesty. She also enjoys going on a journey with characters who have strong bonds to their friends and family. She is an only child who was blessed with supportive parents and some incredibly strong friendships. These relationships have led her to enjoy exploring the roads which lead to that kind of bond. Love makes the world go around!
She has a website where you can find out news and check out other titles she has written. www.booksbybriannayork.com
Her previous published book, Dunsaney’s Desire is available through Amazon. www.amazon.com/Dunsaneys-Desire-Brianna-York-ebook/dp/B076WVHB3H